EEVblog #277 - Mailbag - Elektor / Matrix Multimedia E-Blocks

Dave takes a quick look at the E-Blocks learning system from Matrix Multimedia.
Available from Elektor

[kerajit]

Aussies have weird AC plug, in Europe you can rotate your plugs 180 degrees.

[mikeselectricstuff]

$600 for a very old PIC16 board & a few add-ons What planet are these people on?

[iSolarSunrise]

Buying from Microchip:
Free Software: MPLAB
Cheap Programmer: Pickit 3 - Updated
Pic Microcontroller: 16F series (cheap)
Other parts: LED's switches, capacitors...


cost: Under 60 bucks
Bad educational boards: 600 bucks

[EEVblog]

This isn't meant for students to buy, it's meant for schools/universities etc to buy and amortise the cost over many students. The educational documentation that comes with it means the teachers don't have to spend as much time time writing course material as they would if they bought just a $60 hardware board.

[EEVblog]

I agree with @pittuck Show me the readily available class room educational material for Arduino...

[ntesla]

Given that DB-9 is more than a little old school Dave, what would you have connected all these boards up with Dave?

[esavarem]

On the box it says FlowCode 4, and the site advertises v5. So the sent you a obsolete version?

[EEVblog]

So the software and educational material should be free huh?

[sjm]

Did I just see a streaming video being played within a streaming video ... my mind is blown

[PentiumMHz]

(after a quick trip to Wikipedia) It turns out so. For some reason a lot of people refer to all of those connectors (that have two rows of pins) as DB-x where x is the number of pins.

[PentiumMHz]

DB9 has 9 pins, so 8 bits data and ground - one "port" of the MCU. Unlike the connectors for Arduino shields, the DB-9 connectors probably can survive lots of connections/disconnections.
USB is either a 4 pin connector (not very useful) or each port would have to have a USB interface chip at each side of the connection

[Tompzone]

the real useful feature of that kit is the software, as you can use it with any pic micro (that's supperoted) and not necesarely on the dev board, and the greates thing of flowcode is that the code is compiled and not interpreted (not like picaxe) and that it has alot of components and features and great support

[IndustrialGoblin]

Yeah, I guess you right. But the question is: can they? Interesting, how much money they spent on making all those boards, software and documentation

[EEVblog]

Bingo. I can't believe peopel are comparing it with Arduino and other dev boards. It's not really about the hardware here, it's about the classroom documentation. That can take a LOT more time and effort to produce than the hardware!

[Tompzone]

well i think and believe that the true master piece here is the Flowcode software, specially since you can use it with any kind of pic micro (i use it with my breadboard), and that the code is complied not interpreted (in contrast with the picaxe) so it makes it extremely easy for people that doesnt understand assembly (especially pic assembly that in my opinion is horrible) or C code, and it gives a great deal of info and it gives you a very clear idea of how they work, so you should checkitout

[DoubleM]

It looks interesting, but I think that those kinds of "development kits" aren't really necessary. All you need is a decent breadboard, couple of PIC-s, programmer (pickit), and a set of resistors, and few LED-s... I've learned all about programming PIC-s that way, and it's even less confusing when you wire it all by yourself, than trying to understand how are those demo beards used etc...

[MartynPS]

Apart from the lack of educational grade documentation, product support and ease of use. This is meant to introduce concepts and teach the basic of system level development, not teach someone how to put 20mA through a LED.

Arduino is great on paper, but it takes people a lot of time and effort to get it into the classroom, and who do you call when it goes wrong?

[ribb]

pic micro - yes, something that can be programmed in assembly code to get down and dirty into the hardware without trying to figure out what the compiler is doing or not doing.

[zarserz]

That's GBP dave, not euros. So the conversion is approximately 1 GBP = 1.6 AUD.

[joshstube]

True, love the Aussie flavor Dave!
16:14
Just a head's up though, go easy on the "S" ($#!+) word, it's a little rougher over here [U.S.] than over there ;)

(not exactly family friendly)

Cheers :)